1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Crime is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:03,360 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 2: Dave Elizabeth, Dave Dave. 3 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:10,960 Speaker 3: Guess what It's just us again. Yeah, and I have 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 3: a question for you. Do you know what's ridiculous? 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 4: I do? 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 5: Here? 7 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,600 Speaker 6: Let me I'm going to ask you this in two ways. First, 8 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 6: have you ever loved a building? 9 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:24,760 Speaker 3: Yeah? 10 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 2: Sure, Well let me ask you in the. 11 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,000 Speaker 5: In the other way before you go in. 12 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 6: Mm hmmm, tell me have you ever really, really really 13 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 6: ever loved the building? 14 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 7: No? 15 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 3: I definitely have. 16 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 2: Okay, what building have you loved? 17 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 5: Oh? 18 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 3: I don't know. I've loved an old home that I 19 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 3: lived in. I've loved you know, I really I really 20 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 3: loved my high school building. 21 00:00:49,080 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 2: I mean like, i'm's beautiful? 22 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:52,320 Speaker 3: Really did I really? 23 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:52,680 Speaker 2: Really? 24 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 5: Oh? 25 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 3: Not like love love I admired from a distance. I 26 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 3: think I know where you're going with this, and I 27 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 3: think this is not going to be kosher. 28 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 5: Well it is. 29 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 2: It is not a mashup, So I'll tell you that. 30 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 5: Okay, Well that's but there is a woman. She was 31 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 5: named Erica LaBrie. 32 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,399 Speaker 6: She she loved a building, I mean like really really 33 00:01:18,520 --> 00:01:21,200 Speaker 6: loved like she had feelings for a bit. 34 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,759 Speaker 5: I will give you a hint as to which building 35 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 5: she loved. 36 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:26,440 Speaker 3: Mm hmmm. 37 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 5: After she got married, she changed her name to Erica Eiffel. 38 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 3: Stop yes, why do we allow these things? 39 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 6: She's also known as Aya. She is an American competitive archer. 40 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 6: She actually did marry the Eiffel Tower in a commitment 41 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 6: ceremony in two thousand and seven. 42 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 3: Oh good for her. 43 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 5: Now. 44 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 6: It's not like somebody was like, I knew this would 45 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 6: bug you. I knew it. It's just like the equivalent 46 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 6: of a mashup is like, let me get you into 47 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 6: a funky sexual. 48 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 3: Thing that no, I mean, that's the thing is that 49 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 3: the equivalent of a mashup for me is like some 50 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 3: weird I'm quirky like activity, and my irritation with it 51 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 3: makes people upset. And yet you and Zaren find this 52 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,920 Speaker 3: very entertaining, so go on. 53 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 6: So And it's not like somebody was like, oh, you 54 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 6: love the Eiffel Tower so much, why don't you marry it? 55 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 5: And she's like, Okay, I will. 56 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 6: She married the Eiffel Tower in a commitment ceremony in 57 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 6: two thousand and seven. This isn't even like a long 58 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:35,679 Speaker 6: time ago. Erica Eifel is a competitive archery archer. She's 59 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 6: a really good archer, she won championship. She went since 60 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 6: she went to the Olympics. She won gold in two 61 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:45,240 Speaker 6: thousand and seven, and first she fell in love with 62 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 6: her bow, who she called Lance, her compound bow, and 63 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 6: was like Lance, Yeah, yeah, this relationship with Lance is 64 00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 6: what helped me become a world class archer. Lance understands me. 65 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:01,119 Speaker 6: She then went on to found os Internetia Now, which 66 00:03:01,160 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 6: is an objectum sexuality where she believes in developing significant 67 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:10,360 Speaker 6: relationships with inanimate objects. She says she encountered the Eiffel 68 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 6: Tower in two thousand and four, she felt an immediate attraction. 69 00:03:14,639 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 2: She said. 70 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 6: She told ABC News that she and others quote feel 71 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 6: an innate connection to objects. It comes perfectly normal to 72 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 6: us to connect on various levels emotional, spiritual, and also 73 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 6: physical for something. 74 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 3: Wait, okay, so you know you're just you're you've spent 75 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 3: all this money to go on vacation to France, to 76 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 3: go to Paris. It's just like dream vacation of a lifetime. 77 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 3: And you're walking up and you go to look at 78 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 3: the Eiffel Tower to Tillifel and there's some lady rubbing 79 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 3: up on it, and you're like wait a second, no, stop, Well. 80 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 6: Think about her, She's like, oh that's oh, that's oh, 81 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 6: like it hit her like at three different levels. 82 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 3: Uh huh. 83 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 2: And this was like a. 84 00:03:55,240 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 6: Big deal enough she uh, well, you may not host 85 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 6: her on Ridiculous Crime. But in April of two thousand 86 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 6: and nine, she got on Good Morning America. This was 87 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 6: the second anniversary of her wedding, and she explained how 88 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 6: her object love empowered her. And there's another structure that 89 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:15,680 Speaker 6: she fell in love with. She had a twenty year 90 00:04:15,720 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 6: relationship with the Berlin Wall and there's a musical called 91 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,720 Speaker 6: Erica's Wall that really details that. 92 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 3: So you got, oh wait, so she's like the Elizabeth Taylor. 93 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 5: Of architecture or like the Henry the Eighth. 94 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 3: So I you know, I used to always say, as 95 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 3: long as you're not hurting anybody, and then we entered 96 00:04:32,400 --> 00:04:35,840 Speaker 3: the Summer of Dark, Elizabeth trying so hard to get 97 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 3: out of it, and it's really really difficult for me 98 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 3: when you tell me stories like this. Well, but you know, 99 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,479 Speaker 3: if she's not hurting anybody, fine, See I can't say that. 100 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,279 Speaker 3: Like with the furries, if you're a furry and you're 101 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 3: not hurting anyone, go forth. But if you're trashing a 102 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 3: hotel and being disgusting. Okay, then I can pass judgment. 103 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 5: That's fair. And with the. 104 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:01,719 Speaker 3: Pokemon folks, who I apparently really riled up. If you're 105 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 3: making it so that kids can't get the cards because 106 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 3: you've driven the price up, then I'm irritated. But you know, otherwise, 107 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 3: do your thing whatever. I don't care anymore. 108 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 5: I like that. That's good, thank you. 109 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 6: What about what about say like a hunchback and I 110 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 6: use that term in a literary sense. 111 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 3: I I love them. 112 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 6: Some of the this OS group, this OS what was it. 113 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 3: Called something about the sexul International, Yeah, objective sexuality, the calculatist, 114 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 3: bisexual excuse me, the bisexual calculator. 115 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:47,720 Speaker 6: So one of the scholars that hooks onto this says 116 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 6: that they see OS like behavior in classical literature, for example, 117 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,400 Speaker 6: in Victor Who's eighteen thirty one novel The Hunchback of 118 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,719 Speaker 6: Notre Dame, and I quote. 119 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:03,279 Speaker 5: Quasimoto, love the bells, caress them, talk to them, understood them. 120 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:06,159 Speaker 5: From the carry on and the steeple of the transsept 121 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,160 Speaker 5: to the great bell over the doorway, they all shared 122 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 5: his love. Claude Frolo has made the bell ringer of 123 00:06:12,680 --> 00:06:15,320 Speaker 5: Notre Dame, and to give the Great Bell in marriage 124 00:06:15,360 --> 00:06:20,520 Speaker 5: to Quasimoto was to give Juliette Delomeo. M I'm just 125 00:06:20,560 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 5: gonna leave you with that. 126 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:24,160 Speaker 3: You know, Quasimoto had a lot going on, cut him 127 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 3: a lot of slack. As one hundred percent ridiculous, you've gone, 128 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 3: You've gone beyond one hundred percent ridiculous. You're into the 129 00:06:33,880 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 3: one thousand percent ridiculous. 130 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 5: I'll take you. 131 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:38,400 Speaker 3: Do you want to know what else is ridiculous? 132 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 5: Yeah, give me like two thousand percent ridiculous. 133 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:44,880 Speaker 3: Being the first person in US history to receive a 134 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 3: life sentence in solitary confinement for prison escapes. Ouch, ouch, 135 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 3: this is ridiculous crime. A podcast about absurd and outrageous capers. 136 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,800 Speaker 3: Heis and cons it's always ninety nine percent murder free 137 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 3: and one hundred percent ridiculous. 138 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 2: You know you said that. 139 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:29,160 Speaker 3: I know, I totally just said that. I have a 140 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 3: fascinating story for you today, Captain d You ever seen 141 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 3: the movie I Love You Philip Morris? 142 00:07:36,840 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 5: I have not. I have seen I Love You. You're 143 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 5: perfect now change. 144 00:07:40,280 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 3: Oh, I've not seen that. This isn't about the tobacco 145 00:07:45,280 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 3: company Philip Morris, which when I saw it, I thought 146 00:07:48,320 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 3: that that's what it was about. But it's based on 147 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 3: a real guy. Stephen J. Russell. Like I said, I 148 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 3: didn't see the movie. It came out in two thousand 149 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 3: and nine. I don't know what I was doing that year. 150 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 3: I haven't watched the movie anyway. It's fictionalization and I 151 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 3: generally don't watch stuff like that when I'm researching my 152 00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:07,560 Speaker 3: little stories because I like to stick purely to the 153 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 3: news accounts and like maybe a book or memoir. Anyway, 154 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,720 Speaker 3: Stephen J. Russell, So, I am so intrigued by this guy. 155 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:18,240 Speaker 3: He's complex, Dave, he contains multitudes. 156 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 2: Oh, this is exciting. 157 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 3: Yeah. He was born in North Carolina in nineteen fifty seven. 158 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 3: Good guy. He was adopted right after his birth by 159 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 3: a family in Virginia. And this family they ran like 160 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,920 Speaker 3: a produce business, And when he was nine, they told 161 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 3: him that he was adopted. And this was really tough 162 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,440 Speaker 3: for him, even though the family did their very best, 163 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 3: Like they broke the news to him in a really 164 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 3: gentle way, and they made sure that he understood that 165 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:44,440 Speaker 3: they were there for him as he processed it, which 166 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 3: is like seems like pretty progressive for the time. 167 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:48,280 Speaker 5: Was he adopted? 168 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, he was adopted. 169 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:52,120 Speaker 2: They wanted to like some big mean joke. 170 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 3: They're like, Okay, here's what we're going to do. We're 171 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:58,000 Speaker 3: going to convince him, honey, you're adopted. No, he really 172 00:08:58,040 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 3: was adopted. Adopted it they're good people. He later learned 173 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 3: that his birth mother, who was unmarried when he was born, 174 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:08,760 Speaker 3: eventually married his birth father and they even had more 175 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 3: children together, but they never made an attempt to kind 176 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,079 Speaker 3: of like reach out, get him back, get in touch 177 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 3: even and so he said, quote, I felt rejected. I 178 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 3: had a little bit of a problem when I found out. So, 179 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 3: you know, he tried really hard to be a good kid, 180 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 3: but he was troubled and like his parents had his 181 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:31,840 Speaker 3: IQ taken one sixty three. Super smart kid, yeah, super 182 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 3: smart kid, but he's troubled. And it was by more 183 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 3: than just the adoption thing. Like he started setting fires, 184 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 3: which is no bueno TI. Yeah, that's a very bad 185 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:44,360 Speaker 3: So he's like thirteen, like his firebug ways are getting 186 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 3: him sent to this place called Hanover Boys Home, and 187 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:50,520 Speaker 3: the place was absolutely terrible, of course, but it was 188 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:54,440 Speaker 3: there that he figured something out about himself. He realized 189 00:09:54,520 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 3: he was gay. And so this is the early seventies 190 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:00,880 Speaker 3: in the South, not the easiest place to be, Oh no, 191 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 3: but he did his best to just blend in hide 192 00:10:04,520 --> 00:10:07,320 Speaker 3: who he was. So he started working for the family 193 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:11,080 Speaker 3: produce business. As soon as he turned eighteen, he volunteered 194 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,240 Speaker 3: as a reserve sheriff's deputy. He even he played the 195 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:15,839 Speaker 3: organ for his church. 196 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 2: Wow, he was an upstanding citizen. 197 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 3: Right nineteen seventy six, he marries Debbie Davis, the daughter 198 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 3: of the police chief's secretary, and so then two years 199 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:28,680 Speaker 3: later they have this daughter named Stephanie. And then not 200 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:31,560 Speaker 3: long after that, I believe it was like right after 201 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,360 Speaker 3: his adopted father passed away, he just couldn't hide his 202 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 3: truth anymore. So he came out to his wife and 203 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 3: the two of them got divorced. This is what he said. Quote. 204 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 3: People use the term sham marriage, but I don't think 205 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 3: it was a sham because there was a sexual attraction 206 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 3: towards women, but there was always a stronger attraction towards men. 207 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,200 Speaker 3: I finally let go, and it became easier to deal 208 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:57,679 Speaker 3: with my sexuality because I wasn't trying to hide it. 209 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:02,800 Speaker 3: So complex guy, Yeah, yeah, So he tried. He tried 210 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:05,959 Speaker 3: to earn an honest living. He moved out to Los Angeles. 211 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:09,080 Speaker 3: He became a sales manager at this like food company 212 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:12,560 Speaker 3: and after a while his manager learned that he was gay, 213 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 3: and he the response was he fires Stephen Russell immediately. 214 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,839 Speaker 3: And then yeah, so Russell says, quote, when I lost 215 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 3: my job, that really screwed with my head. I lost 216 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,160 Speaker 3: control of my life. I would never put myself or 217 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,520 Speaker 3: anyone else through that. Instead of feeling sorry for myself 218 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:34,360 Speaker 3: when I lost my job, I would have got another job. 219 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:36,600 Speaker 3: I didn't know how to react because I was angry. 220 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 3: I'm not angry anymore. So it's that loss of control 221 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 3: that's so key here. The guy had a bad run 222 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,160 Speaker 3: as a kid. He did his best to get on track, 223 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 3: and that meant hiding who he was, which damaged him 224 00:11:49,920 --> 00:11:52,080 Speaker 3: and his wife and his kid. Like, there are no 225 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:54,920 Speaker 3: winners at this point, and I think that even though 226 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:57,600 Speaker 3: it was painful, he really did the honorable and brave 227 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:00,360 Speaker 3: thing by you know, by his wife in coming out. 228 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:03,720 Speaker 3: And here he is, He's trying to keep on track. 229 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 3: He wants to work hard, become a productive member of society. 230 00:12:07,559 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 3: And then something that he has that has absolutely nothing 231 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 3: to do with him as a professional or a worker 232 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 3: or a member of staff gets them fired, and I mean, 233 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,640 Speaker 3: we have laws against that now, but it still happens. 234 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:21,319 Speaker 2: And yeah, and I'm sure it happened all the time 235 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:22,680 Speaker 2: back then. You're terrifying. 236 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, And I'm so I'm so pained by people harming 237 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 3: others out of their own imagined fears, right because like 238 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:33,320 Speaker 3: they're just afraid of something because it's different. And that's 239 00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 3: just like that hurts my heart anyway. So there's Stephen Russell. 240 00:12:36,679 --> 00:12:38,960 Speaker 6: Yeah, Like I was just going to say, for rude dudes, 241 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,640 Speaker 6: like rud dudes who are older will remember the show 242 00:12:41,720 --> 00:12:44,240 Speaker 6: Three's Company from the eighties when he was younger. They 243 00:12:44,280 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 6: might not, but even as recently the eighties, like go 244 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 6: watch that sitcom and it's a very funny show and 245 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 6: very thoughtful show, and like it just gives you a 246 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 6: sense of the stigma of being gay at the time. 247 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 6: And how like it was this running joke of the 248 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,959 Speaker 6: show of like, oh there's Jack, he might he must 249 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 6: be a little you know, and they all these different 250 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:04,360 Speaker 6: terrible epithets with like mm hmm. You wouldn't do that now, 251 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 6: but like it was like a punchline in the. 252 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,560 Speaker 3: Eighties totally, and it was like, these are people's lives, right. 253 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:14,280 Speaker 3: So he's out of a job, he's crapped on by society, 254 00:13:14,559 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 3: and so you know, he turned to crime. Now luckily 255 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 3: he's not setting fires, not wanton destruction. He turns to 256 00:13:22,160 --> 00:13:25,000 Speaker 3: cons and I feel like this is his middle finger 257 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:27,720 Speaker 3: to the world, like you don't want me to participate, fine, 258 00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 3: I won't. So he starts selling fake Rolex watches, which 259 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:35,080 Speaker 3: is like, is it wrong that I kind of want 260 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:35,559 Speaker 3: a fake. 261 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 6: Roles I actually, for a brief period of time I 262 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 6: had one when I was a student in New York, 263 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 6: like oh yeah. Then there were those guys like down 264 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,760 Speaker 6: in Times Square and like yeah, and the village, especially 265 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 6: in Chinatown, and it was like it wasn't fooling anybody. 266 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 2: I mean it was ten dollars. 267 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,600 Speaker 6: Clear and like really heavy, like heavier than a watch 268 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 6: should be because it probably made of lead or something. 269 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,080 Speaker 2: But it was fun. It's cool to have like that 270 00:13:58,160 --> 00:13:58,719 Speaker 2: in a fake ID. 271 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,320 Speaker 3: I love fig I used to have a phone case 272 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 3: that said Gucci but it was Guccy and I love 273 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:10,959 Speaker 3: obviously knockoff stuff. My friend Ave Linda, she's a fashion 274 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:14,120 Speaker 3: scholar and she used to be an authenticator, and my 275 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 3: love of bad fakes gives her aneurysms like I just 276 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 3: I love bad fakes. I want a fake Rolex anyway, Russell. 277 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 3: So he would fake slip and fall accidents like stuff 278 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:26,880 Speaker 3: like that. He defrauded in Russell. 279 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 2: It's like sliping Jimmy exactly. 280 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 3: He defrauded an insurance company out of forty five thousand 281 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:37,320 Speaker 3: dollars good good haul nineteen ninety two. He turned in 282 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 3: a fake passport application and that's what got inbusted, like 283 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 3: he couldn't pull that off. And for the for that though, 284 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 3: he got a ten year sentence in Harris County Jail 285 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 3: in Texas. And here's what he had to say. Quote 286 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:52,840 Speaker 3: keep in mind that Texas was asking me to serve 287 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:57,160 Speaker 3: ten years for insurance fraud, another six months for passport fraud, 288 00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 3: and Virginia wanted ninety days of jail time for me 289 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 3: for theft. By the time I was to get out 290 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 3: of prison, Jim would be dead. Dave, Who's Jim? 291 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 5: That's That's what I was a good question. 292 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:08,440 Speaker 2: Who's Jim. 293 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 3: Jim was James Kempel, That was his boyfriend, and Jim 294 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 3: had tested positive for HIV, which at the time was 295 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 3: a death sentence. So there's Russell in prison. The person 296 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:22,400 Speaker 3: he loves is on limited time. He's going to be 297 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,880 Speaker 3: locked up and miss out on the years they could 298 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 3: have had together. And it's it's not just that they're apart, 299 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 3: they're a part in his partner's suffering. And so I mean, like, yeah, 300 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 3: Russell needs to face the consequences of his actions. But 301 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:35,360 Speaker 3: it's a sad tale all around. 302 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:37,800 Speaker 6: And back then, would you have like you had payphones 303 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:39,520 Speaker 6: and you had letters, like that's the way. 304 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So Russell decides to do something about it. 305 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:47,520 Speaker 3: And I've been bumming you out until now, Dave, my 306 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 3: good dude, let's get ridiculous. So Russell he starts by 307 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 3: studying the shift patterns of the guards in the prison, 308 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,240 Speaker 3: and he made note of the comings and goings. He 309 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 3: watched their routines and their manner. And one day he 310 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,720 Speaker 3: came across a room and in it were all of 311 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 3: the personal effects of the female inmates on the other 312 00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 3: side of the jail. So we rifled through the stuff. 313 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,280 Speaker 3: He found a pair of sweatpants that would fit him, 314 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,120 Speaker 3: and I should note the guy's six foot two, and 315 00:16:15,160 --> 00:16:17,080 Speaker 3: so then he found the only shirt that he could 316 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 3: find that would fit him was a tie dyed shirt. 317 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:22,480 Speaker 3: So he grabs them both and like secrets them away 318 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 3: in his cell. And another thing he managed to nab 319 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 3: at some point was a walkie talkie used by the guards. 320 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 3: I have no idea how he landed that, but he 321 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,680 Speaker 3: did so with civilian traders. 322 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 5: He must have traded right. 323 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:37,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly so with civilian clothes in the radio he 324 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:41,800 Speaker 3: made his move. Dave's closed eyes. 325 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 6: Oh yeah, I never get to do this. 326 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:45,680 Speaker 2: I'm closing my eyes. 327 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:50,640 Speaker 3: I want you to picture it. You are a correctional 328 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 3: officers radio. You're old, battered. You've been dropped and skidded 329 00:16:55,840 --> 00:17:01,480 Speaker 3: along cold, polished cement floors. You've been ripped in sweaty hands. 330 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 3: You've been perched atop toilet paper dispensers while your owner 331 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,360 Speaker 3: took a dump. You're wrapped in electrical tape to keep 332 00:17:08,359 --> 00:17:11,879 Speaker 3: your sides from splitting. You've heard and relayed some crazy 333 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:17,080 Speaker 3: stuff over the years, fights, medical emergencies, gossip, jokes. Life 334 00:17:17,080 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 3: has been hard. Someone dropped you behind a bookshelf in 335 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:23,639 Speaker 3: the jail library a couple weeks ago. Oh, your power 336 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,160 Speaker 3: switched knocked to off when you fell, and you sat 337 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 3: silent the soft steps of inmates and coos passed you 338 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:32,960 Speaker 3: by on the carpet, but you were unnoticed until Stephen 339 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:35,720 Speaker 3: Russell saw you. He scooped you up and tucked you 340 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 3: under his shirt. Back in his cell, he flipped your 341 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 3: switch to on. You crackled to life. He quickly turned 342 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 3: your volume all the way down, then powered you off. 343 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:46,160 Speaker 3: Then he tucked you into a box under his buck, 344 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:49,359 Speaker 3: and there you sat. You wondered what would happen next, 345 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 3: where you'd go. You figured guards would inspect to Sell 346 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:54,119 Speaker 3: at some point and find you, and you'd be returned 347 00:17:54,119 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 3: to your life of germs and hip holsters and noise 348 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:00,760 Speaker 3: and clatter. But for now things are blessedly silent. Until 349 00:18:00,760 --> 00:18:04,960 Speaker 3: they weren't. One day, you're removed from the box. There's Russell, 350 00:18:05,080 --> 00:18:08,240 Speaker 3: clad in his prison uniform, but you see sweatpants and 351 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 3: a tied eyed shirt peeking out from underneath. He tucks 352 00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 3: you under his shirt and nestled in the dark between 353 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 3: the tied eye and an undershirt. You feel a little claustrophobic, 354 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:19,879 Speaker 3: but also weirdly comforted. Russell makes his way to the 355 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:22,439 Speaker 3: common area and then ducks into an alcove, removing the 356 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,520 Speaker 3: jail uniform as he watches the guards go on their 357 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,560 Speaker 3: usual smoke break. He walks over to the door leading outside. 358 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:31,679 Speaker 3: There's a windowed booth next to it. He lifts you 359 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:34,800 Speaker 3: up and taps you against the window. You've made this 360 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 3: move a million times. The guard looks out and sees 361 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,800 Speaker 3: a man in civilian clothes, admittedly strange and casual ones, 362 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 3: probably undercover. The guard thinks. He nods his head and 363 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 3: buzzes the lock open. Russell walks out the door and 364 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:50,399 Speaker 3: into the parking lot. You in his hand. He takes 365 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 3: a deep breath. Birds chirp, cars whiz by on a 366 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 3: nearby highway. He's free, and so are you. You've never 367 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:01,040 Speaker 3: really been out here, out in the world. It's exhilarating, 368 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 3: so bright, so fresh. Russell turns up your volume and 369 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 3: listens for any mention of his escape. Nothing. He sets 370 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 3: you on a fence post as he walks out of 371 00:19:10,080 --> 00:19:13,439 Speaker 3: the jail parking lot and into the world. Goodbye, you 372 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:18,640 Speaker 3: try to tell him, but he's already gone. So hustle, 373 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 3: Russell made his way to Jim. The two of them 374 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:24,600 Speaker 3: fled to Mexico. They lived there for a while, but 375 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 3: then Jim's health got really bad and they had to 376 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:29,400 Speaker 3: come back to the States so he could get better treatment. 377 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 3: So they get back. Russell tried to make some money 378 00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 3: for the couple to live off by committing insurance fraud 379 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 3: and they'd been on the run for two years at 380 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,800 Speaker 3: this point, but he got busted. Russell sent to jail 381 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 3: and Jim died a few weeks later, so he's heartbroken 382 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:48,160 Speaker 3: behind bars. But then things changed on both fronts. Let's 383 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 3: take a break and we come back. We'll see what 384 00:19:51,800 --> 00:20:17,480 Speaker 3: new adventures awaited. Stephen Jay Russell. Yes, Dave, Dave, Dave, 385 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:21,680 Speaker 3: we're back. Okay, nineteen ninety five is where we are now, 386 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 3: great year, Russell. 387 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:26,399 Speaker 2: Do you have a walkman? Do I have a disc man? 388 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:27,159 Speaker 5: Like? What do I have? 389 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 3: Sort of a discman? And you're wearing like super baggy 390 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:33,640 Speaker 3: jeans and like. 391 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,800 Speaker 6: A really bright like club shirt, like a like a 392 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 6: shiny blue shirt for ye clubs. 393 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:45,120 Speaker 3: Exactly. Yeah, we're right there. So Stephen J. Russell, he's 394 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,760 Speaker 3: in jail, he's just lost his partner, but he meets 395 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 3: someone new. He met fellow inmate Philip Morris, so pretty 396 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 3: soon the two begin a relationship. This is how Russell 397 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 3: described it quote. I didn't think it was possible. I 398 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:01,560 Speaker 3: mean we were in prison. He was softly spoken with 399 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:04,040 Speaker 3: a deep Southern accent. I saw him in the law 400 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:06,880 Speaker 3: library trying to get a book. He's short, He's only 401 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 3: five foot two and I'm six foot two, and I said, 402 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:12,280 Speaker 3: hold on, I'll get that for you. And that was it. 403 00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:15,959 Speaker 3: He's very intelligent. He loves fishing and four wheel driving. 404 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 3: He loves music classical like Bach and Beethoven and Mozart. 405 00:21:20,359 --> 00:21:23,440 Speaker 3: He's like a little mess. He's a diabetic, but he'll 406 00:21:23,440 --> 00:21:25,360 Speaker 3: go out and buy twelve donuts and eat them all 407 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 3: at once. 408 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:28,720 Speaker 2: So strangely, he didn't smoke. 409 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:33,360 Speaker 3: Right, and so we have another like, you know, very complex, 410 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:39,440 Speaker 3: but you know, interesting guy. So what was Morrison for? 411 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:42,399 Speaker 3: Thank you for asking, Dave. He failed to return a 412 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:46,120 Speaker 3: rental car and so wow, I. 413 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:50,600 Speaker 6: Didn't realize I would figure they find you. 414 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 3: But I mean, like maybe he sold it. I don't know. 415 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:57,119 Speaker 3: But so Russell and Morris, they were both paroled later 416 00:21:57,160 --> 00:22:00,360 Speaker 3: that year, and so they get out at the same time. 417 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,800 Speaker 3: They stay together. Russell wasted no time getting back to criming. 418 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:06,880 Speaker 3: You know, he and Morris had to support themselves somehow, 419 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:11,080 Speaker 3: so he cashed in a bunch of fraudulent life insurance 420 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:15,399 Speaker 3: policies that he'd taken out on Jim Kemple. And in 421 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:19,440 Speaker 3: the most audacious move, he also applied for a job 422 00:22:19,520 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 3: as the CFO of this huge medical management company called 423 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,760 Speaker 3: NAMM and like, he didn't have any of the qualifications 424 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:32,000 Speaker 3: for this job, like zero, So he faked a resume. 425 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:35,800 Speaker 3: But like a gig like this is sure to contact references, right, 426 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,399 Speaker 3: don't worry about that. He acted as his own references. 427 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 3: So he had this special talent for changing his voice. 428 00:22:43,359 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 3: You know that some of us have I like this 429 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 3: and his speech patterns, he could sound like different people 430 00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 3: we could be. You know, he's adopted and so okay. 431 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 3: So there's this Houston based journalist Steve McVicker. He became 432 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:02,400 Speaker 3: friends with Russell when he was He's the one who 433 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,119 Speaker 3: wrote the book I Love You Philip Morris that the 434 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,880 Speaker 3: film's based on. So this is what he said quote. 435 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 3: He has lots of different voices and he always makes 436 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 3: sure to give a different face in every mugshot, which 437 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 3: is incredible. And it kind of makes sense then that 438 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 3: they got Jim Carrey to play him in the movie. 439 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, you know, so little was dead. 440 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 3: Oh rip, So the Master of a Million voices, he 441 00:23:28,840 --> 00:23:31,560 Speaker 3: gets hired and he got to work at his real 442 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:36,119 Speaker 3: job though crime he he embezzled about eight hundred thousand 443 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:41,200 Speaker 3: dollars that's one point four million today from NAMM. And 444 00:23:41,320 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 3: remember he didn't have any of the job experience necessary 445 00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 3: for the gig, but apparently that made him a model employee. 446 00:23:48,720 --> 00:23:51,200 Speaker 3: So the founder of can I get this job? 447 00:23:51,480 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 5: I know? 448 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 4: Right? 449 00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 3: The founder of NAMM later said that Russell was like 450 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 3: way easier to work with than any of the other 451 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:02,480 Speaker 3: CFOs that he'd ever met, and that he did his 452 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:05,639 Speaker 3: job really effectively. So I mean, I guess he didn't 453 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:08,440 Speaker 3: have that like inflated sense of self where I don't know, 454 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 3: like he probably just delegated really well and didn't micromanage, 455 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 3: because what the hell is he going to manage? 456 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:15,119 Speaker 7: It? 457 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 3: Has no idea. He used the cash that he stole 458 00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:23,119 Speaker 3: to live large, so like he bought Mercedes Benz cars, 459 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:30,520 Speaker 3: he bought jet skis. He they only ate Hogandaws. It 460 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:36,919 Speaker 3: was it was incredible good. They wore matching Rolex watches 461 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,879 Speaker 3: him and Morris, so he went from the fake rolies 462 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 3: to the Yeah, they had a little cute matching watches. 463 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 3: And then he did some self care, He got veneers 464 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:47,679 Speaker 3: on his teeth and he had plastic surgery on his eyes. 465 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 3: I feel like that's a misstep. Just don't do it anyway. Yeah, 466 00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:56,719 Speaker 3: so a CFO, well it was its early days. Like 467 00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 3: if he'd done it today, he'd be he'd look like 468 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,320 Speaker 3: that new species of person that we see who has 469 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:04,840 Speaker 3: like the fillers and the cheekbones and then they get 470 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 3: the buckle fat taken out of their cheeks and. 471 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 5: Yeah, and they look like a weird fish. 472 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,239 Speaker 3: What is that? It's interesting anyway. So you know, if 473 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 3: you're a CFO for like this major medical management company, 474 00:25:18,040 --> 00:25:21,680 Speaker 3: you're gonna make serious coin sure. So like, why didn't 475 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 3: he just get the gig and lay low and collect 476 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 3: the paycheck and be like yeah bies also whatever. 477 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:27,160 Speaker 2: Like and get a pension. 478 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, exactly. This is what he said. Quote and 479 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:35,920 Speaker 3: I feel bad that that. I love this so much. 480 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:36,359 Speaker 2: Quote. 481 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:41,200 Speaker 3: The HMOs put gem and I through hell during his illness. 482 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:44,760 Speaker 3: They wouldn't cover the cost of certain treatments At NAMM. 483 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,679 Speaker 3: I watched executives badger their medical directors to put pressure 484 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,480 Speaker 3: on network physicians to get patients out of a hospital 485 00:25:51,760 --> 00:25:54,800 Speaker 3: as soon as possible, because otherwise it would affect their bonus. 486 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 3: That got my revenge jeans all greased up. I decided 487 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 3: to make NAMM pay for their deeds as well as 488 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:06,679 Speaker 3: the other HMO's deeds towards Jimmy. So I'm like, okay, 489 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:09,600 Speaker 3: I'll allow it, you know him. Yeah, what it's like 490 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 3: dealing with HMOs, It's enough to drive you to crime. 491 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 6: And those what is it like PBMs? The benefit managers 492 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:20,680 Speaker 6: that are the middleman. They are the absolute titus because 493 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 6: get all the money that when they say no exactly. 494 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 3: And so I also, I love the term revenge jeans. 495 00:26:28,400 --> 00:26:30,679 Speaker 3: It's just so in you you can't. Yeah, I love that. 496 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 5: It's a pizza tooth. It's like I've got a pizza tooth. 497 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 3: It's yeah, I too have a pizza tooth. So Russell 498 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,320 Speaker 3: was not on the job for very long. He got 499 00:26:41,320 --> 00:26:44,879 Speaker 3: found out for the embezzlement about five months after he 500 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:47,840 Speaker 3: put it into play. And then the yeah, the cops 501 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,439 Speaker 3: came calling, and of course, like he wants to avoid 502 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,280 Speaker 3: jail at all costs, so he told officers that he 503 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,679 Speaker 3: was diabetic and he asked for insulin and so like 504 00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 3: this is at his house, so they get him the 505 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:01,840 Speaker 3: insulin that's there it's Morris's juice, and he filled himself 506 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:06,320 Speaker 3: with forty doses. And there's like a conflicting recollection as 507 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:08,520 Speaker 3: to whether this was like a gambit to buy time 508 00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 3: or an effort to end it all. But either way, 509 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:12,520 Speaker 3: he goes into the Shope seizure. 510 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, is that what happens. 511 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 3: Yeah, he goes into shock and they take him to 512 00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 3: the hospital. And so a judge sets his bail at 513 00:27:19,119 --> 00:27:22,240 Speaker 3: nine hundred thousand dollars that's like one point five mil today, 514 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:25,439 Speaker 3: And like most people granted bail, he didn't think this 515 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,080 Speaker 3: was a fair amount. So instead of talking to his 516 00:27:28,160 --> 00:27:30,600 Speaker 3: lawyer or complaining to it, Cell made about it. He 517 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 3: actually did something. He called the district court clerk from 518 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 3: jail and impersonated the judge and he told yeah, he 519 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:40,840 Speaker 3: told the clerk to reduce the bail amount to forty 520 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 3: five thousand dollars. Clerk's like, yeah, sure thing. 521 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:44,160 Speaker 5: Oh my god. 522 00:27:44,720 --> 00:27:48,119 Speaker 3: Russell paid his bail the following day and then walked home. 523 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:52,720 Speaker 3: So that's escape number two. And like a few days later, 524 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:54,960 Speaker 3: the courts figured out their mistake and it was only 525 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 3: because the funds that he used to pay the forty 526 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,640 Speaker 3: five thousand dollars bail didn't clear, they went out, they 527 00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:02,440 Speaker 3: re arrested, and they knew where to find him. Like 528 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:05,520 Speaker 3: he's not on the run. He was with Morris. He said, quote, 529 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 3: I did those things because I wanted to be with Philip. 530 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:11,439 Speaker 3: I was out of control. So all he wants to 531 00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:13,399 Speaker 3: do get back to Philip. And this goes back to 532 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:16,919 Speaker 3: my thing about impulse control. When I taught in the prison, 533 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,679 Speaker 3: all my students talked about their issues with impulse control, 534 00:28:19,720 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 3: and it was something that they were all actively working on, 535 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 3: and there were good programs in the federal facility for 536 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,480 Speaker 3: those that wanted to take advantage of them. And you 537 00:28:28,520 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 3: can imagine that those that were enrolled in college classes 538 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,040 Speaker 3: also participated in those workshops and made an effort to 539 00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 3: better themselves. But I think it's something we have to 540 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 3: recognize early and help correct in people. And it's not easy. 541 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 5: Yeah, And I. 542 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 6: Think it is, like there's got to be something biochemical 543 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:50,600 Speaker 6: about it, because like I can only very loosely relate 544 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 6: to it, Like I can't say I can't relate to it. 545 00:28:53,040 --> 00:28:56,800 Speaker 6: I've certainly done some things that were impulsive, but it's 546 00:28:56,800 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 6: not like I don't feel like I have intrusive thoughts 547 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 6: or or like I'm just gonna go do something to 548 00:29:01,920 --> 00:29:04,280 Speaker 6: solve a problem that's like way off the wall, and 549 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 6: I can you can tell there's people that that's just 550 00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:08,160 Speaker 6: what occurs to them. 551 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 3: Well think too, you have this whole generation generations that 552 00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 3: had exposure to lead paint and lead in gasoline fumes, 553 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 3: and that has been studied to show like that it 554 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:22,360 Speaker 3: contributes to impulse control issues. And so I know that. Yeah, 555 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 3: so I mean like that I think plays into it too, 556 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:28,080 Speaker 3: So it's a real thing. Anyway, Russell, he gets sentenced 557 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 3: to prison for forty five years. And if if we 558 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 3: know anything about Stephen Jay Russell, it's that he always 559 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:39,320 Speaker 3: has a plan. So in prison there's a commissary. Incarcerated 560 00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 3: individuals can buy stuff like snacks, radios, papers, pens. Russell 561 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,800 Speaker 3: bought pens, like a lot of them, lots and lots 562 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,320 Speaker 3: of them, lots of green felt tipped markers. 563 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:52,880 Speaker 6: Now I can relate to this because when I was little, 564 00:29:53,400 --> 00:29:57,320 Speaker 6: I just love green twos. So I actually wrote green 565 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,320 Speaker 6: twos all over my parents' garage. 566 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:00,280 Speaker 3: Oh my love that. 567 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,480 Speaker 6: And thankfully, you know, I don't think they did anything 568 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:07,160 Speaker 6: horrible to me for it. And I also stole all 569 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 6: of the playing cards from my sister's card decks that 570 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,320 Speaker 6: were twos and wrote green two on them. 571 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 3: Oh that's cool. 572 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 5: They couldn't find. 573 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,080 Speaker 6: Them, So yeah, I love green felt tip markers. I'm 574 00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:17,719 Speaker 6: with you, Stephen. 575 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 3: He's right there, and it's like, but he what's he 576 00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:22,600 Speaker 3: doing with him? He wasn't giving out like pre aged 577 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 3: temporary tattoos. He was a massing die. So one day 578 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:30,760 Speaker 3: he emptied all the ink into the sink in his 579 00:30:30,880 --> 00:30:35,840 Speaker 3: cell and he dyed his white prison uniform green. That right, 580 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 3: that was the I would do it just for aesthetics, 581 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:39,680 Speaker 3: because I green's my favorite color. 582 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 5: Are you a spring? Is that it? 583 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:42,160 Speaker 2: Are you a late spring? 584 00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,960 Speaker 3: I'm a late spring, not much of a new autumn. 585 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 3: So this is the color. The green was the color 586 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:53,040 Speaker 3: that visiting doctors wore. So here's a pro tip from 587 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 3: Russell quote, you have to be very careful because if 588 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 3: you wring them out, you get streaks in the material, 589 00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 3: like this is the aft knowledge. So a few days 590 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 3: after dyeing his uniform, like I guess he gave it 591 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 3: enough time to dry, he made his move. He waited 592 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:09,920 Speaker 3: until the guard at the door was on the phone, 593 00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 3: and then he walked up and he puts it on. 594 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 3: He puts the outfit on, the green outfit. He walks 595 00:31:15,480 --> 00:31:17,800 Speaker 3: up and he asked to be waved through like a 596 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 3: doctor would, and he gets this hole. Remember he could 597 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,000 Speaker 3: like study mannerisms and he gets this thing. Come on, 598 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:25,640 Speaker 3: I gotta get out of here. This is what he said. 599 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 3: Russell said quote, if you're scared, you really mustn't show it. 600 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,320 Speaker 3: You have to act like you're meant to be there. 601 00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 3: But you do get a huge adrenaline rush. I walked 602 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 3: to the woods just outside the penitentiary, and after about 603 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:41,720 Speaker 3: one hundred yards, I turned round and I went like this, 604 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:45,280 Speaker 3: flipping the bird. I guess it was kind of arrogant. 605 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 3: So he did that, you know, yeah, totally, and he 606 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:52,160 Speaker 3: planned the hell out of it. He figured that they 607 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:54,920 Speaker 3: would send dogs after him, so he taped a bunch 608 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,959 Speaker 3: of plastic bags, like really tight against his body so 609 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:00,000 Speaker 3: that his scent would be blocked and the dogs would 610 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:00,560 Speaker 3: track him. 611 00:32:00,600 --> 00:32:02,000 Speaker 6: I thought, you're going to say, he taped a bunch 612 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:04,760 Speaker 6: of steaks to me. 613 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:07,720 Speaker 3: It's the exact office. He's like, damn it, I just 614 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:10,280 Speaker 3: wanted to pet the dogs. So he's like, he's still 615 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 3: dressed up as a doctor. I don't know if he 616 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:15,240 Speaker 3: also got like a stethoscope somewhere. Probably let's say he did, 617 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 3: who knows, And so he's all dressed up like that. 618 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:21,600 Speaker 3: He goes to the nearest house. He knocks on the 619 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 3: door and like, you figure, you live a woods away 620 00:32:24,760 --> 00:32:27,400 Speaker 3: from a prison, you're probably got you know, your like 621 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,720 Speaker 3: censors up all the time. Yeah. No, he convinced the 622 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:33,960 Speaker 3: homeowner that he was a doctor who needed a ride 623 00:32:33,960 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 3: into town. Like, you know, see, I'd gotten into a 624 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:38,800 Speaker 3: little accident with macar Can you help an mb is. 625 00:32:38,960 --> 00:32:40,760 Speaker 5: It's just like a horror movie at this point. 626 00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:43,760 Speaker 3: Totally so he said. Quote by the time they had 627 00:32:43,760 --> 00:32:47,120 Speaker 3: their helicopters and search teams out, I was drinking Margarita's 628 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 3: in a bar in Houston. This guy's good escape number three. 629 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 3: So he immediately goes to meet up with Morris. The 630 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 3: two of them they head for Mississippi to start a 631 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 3: new life, but they were eventually found, you know, arm 632 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,520 Speaker 3: of the law and all. His story though, is huge 633 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:05,240 Speaker 3: in the media. I mean, like, how could it not be. 634 00:33:05,320 --> 00:33:10,920 Speaker 3: He's multiple brazen escapes and this made the authorities look really, 635 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 3: really bad. And you know what happens when you poke 636 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 3: that bear. They threw the book at him. So normally, 637 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:20,200 Speaker 3: like he would have kind of laughed at the whole thing, 638 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:22,640 Speaker 3: like even as he was being sentenced, but this time 639 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:27,000 Speaker 3: was different. He was sad and defeated and the court 640 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:29,120 Speaker 3: and in court they asked him like, what's up. You know, 641 00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:32,440 Speaker 3: you're normally you find this all hilarious, and he's like, well, 642 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,520 Speaker 3: I just found out I'm HIV positive and I don't 643 00:33:35,560 --> 00:33:37,960 Speaker 3: have long to live. And everyone's like, oh my god. 644 00:33:38,840 --> 00:33:42,200 Speaker 3: So they take him into lock up for ten months. 645 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,720 Speaker 3: While he's in there, his condition just deteriorated, like he 646 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:49,520 Speaker 3: lost a ton of weight. He's like feeble and exhausted. 647 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,400 Speaker 3: And then they thought, well, okay, we have to send 648 00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:55,680 Speaker 3: him to the prison nursing home for hospice care. So 649 00:33:55,720 --> 00:33:57,800 Speaker 3: they send him to the home and then the prison 650 00:33:57,840 --> 00:33:59,840 Speaker 3: officials they get a call from a doctor who said 651 00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 3: that Russell had been selected for an experimental drug trial. 652 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:05,680 Speaker 3: And this is the era when you're getting like all 653 00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:09,000 Speaker 3: of these you know, new leaps and bounds, and so 654 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:11,360 Speaker 3: they needed to send him to the treatment center immediately 655 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 3: to begin the new drug trial. And so they show 656 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,920 Speaker 3: this incredible compassion. They release him into the care of 657 00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:19,239 Speaker 3: the doctor and a few weeks later they find out 658 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:22,400 Speaker 3: though that the experiment had failed and Russell had passed away. 659 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 3: The thing is, Russell never had HIV. Made the whole 660 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 3: thing up dog He he watched Jim die, so he 661 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:37,800 Speaker 3: knew what the process looked like. And he's this great mimic. 662 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:40,799 Speaker 3: So he ate basically nothing, and he took a bunch 663 00:34:40,880 --> 00:34:44,640 Speaker 3: of laxatives. And they never administered an HIV test because 664 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,319 Speaker 3: he had one on file, but it was one that 665 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,760 Speaker 3: he'd fake the results of, Like he literally just typed 666 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,280 Speaker 3: one up like Stephen Russell's got HIV, like look see 667 00:34:53,400 --> 00:34:53,640 Speaker 3: you know. 668 00:34:53,719 --> 00:34:56,840 Speaker 5: And he induced lethargy and like wasting. 669 00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,880 Speaker 3: Completely completely, And so now they think he's dead because 670 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:03,800 Speaker 3: they get word from this supposed doctor who doesn't exist. 671 00:35:03,840 --> 00:35:08,000 Speaker 3: He's like, well, rip, he pulled off escape number four. 672 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:10,200 Speaker 2: Wow, this guy is good. 673 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:14,280 Speaker 3: This is what he said. Quote. That was the most difficult. 674 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 3: I had to completely discipline myself. You do whatever you 675 00:35:18,080 --> 00:35:21,120 Speaker 3: have to do. I get my ideas from studying. I watch, 676 00:35:21,239 --> 00:35:24,720 Speaker 3: I look for weaknesses, you look the whole way around something, 677 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,359 Speaker 3: and you never let yourself get blocked in. I don't 678 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:30,319 Speaker 3: think I'm cleverer than the police. But I managed it 679 00:35:30,360 --> 00:35:33,040 Speaker 3: because they think anyone who is a criminal is stupid 680 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:36,560 Speaker 3: and they're complacent. I think anyone can escape from anywhere. 681 00:35:36,880 --> 00:35:39,840 Speaker 2: That's probably right. I mean, it's you know true. 682 00:35:40,200 --> 00:35:43,719 Speaker 3: And because anytime we have these criminals who have their 683 00:35:43,719 --> 00:35:45,600 Speaker 3: wits about them and are pretty smart about it, the 684 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:47,880 Speaker 3: cops are always remarking, like, God, this guy's good. I 685 00:35:48,400 --> 00:35:52,160 Speaker 3: respect him, so they're not anticipating it and like it's 686 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 3: this clever. But man, that's bad juju what he did, Like, 687 00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:58,880 Speaker 3: don't I don't know, yeah, don't do that. 688 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:02,200 Speaker 6: On the other hand, like his his like part of 689 00:36:02,200 --> 00:36:05,560 Speaker 6: the population who was at the time like being almost 690 00:36:05,560 --> 00:36:09,080 Speaker 6: deliberately diminished. So if anybody can do it like wear 691 00:36:09,120 --> 00:36:11,480 Speaker 6: it does a badge to get out, like he could 692 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:12,839 Speaker 6: do it, and I you. 693 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:14,840 Speaker 3: Know, it's another one of his kind of middle finger 694 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:17,960 Speaker 3: to the world like yeah, yeah. So he's out on 695 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 3: the lamb. On March twentieth, nineteen ninety eight, he poses 696 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:25,640 Speaker 3: as this like rich guy goes into Nations Bank in 697 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:28,439 Speaker 3: Dallas and tries to get a seventy five thousand dollars loan, 698 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:31,080 Speaker 3: and the bank staff they're a little suspicious. They call 699 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:34,600 Speaker 3: the authorities. Cops show up and Russell's like, oh my god, 700 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:37,440 Speaker 3: they found me. So he fakes a heart attack. They 701 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:39,960 Speaker 3: take him to the hospital and it was there that 702 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 3: authorities find out that the guy that they had there 703 00:36:42,840 --> 00:36:45,520 Speaker 3: wasn't some rich man trying to score alone. He was 704 00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:47,280 Speaker 3: the dearly departed Stephen Russell. 705 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,560 Speaker 6: And he's using they're dead, he's using a whole fake profile, 706 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:51,720 Speaker 6: this whole whole fake profile. 707 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:54,120 Speaker 3: Yeah. But they print him and they're like, oh, not really, 708 00:36:54,360 --> 00:36:57,200 Speaker 3: So they arrest him, and he tried to convince the 709 00:36:57,200 --> 00:36:59,040 Speaker 3: cops that it was all a mistake, like, I'm not 710 00:36:59,120 --> 00:37:02,279 Speaker 3: Stephen J. Russell, You've got to be confused. But the 711 00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,080 Speaker 3: police had when they send the prince out, they find 712 00:37:05,120 --> 00:37:08,160 Speaker 3: out who he is. Texas Department of Criminal Justice tells 713 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:11,640 Speaker 3: the cops there ignore everything he says to you, no 714 00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:17,080 Speaker 3: matter how believable it seems. Yeah, right, Glenn Castlebury of 715 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:20,560 Speaker 3: the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said, quote, we told 716 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:22,960 Speaker 3: them in Florida, if he comes out of the apartment 717 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:25,839 Speaker 3: and says he's Bill Clinton, don't believe him, even though 718 00:37:25,880 --> 00:37:28,719 Speaker 3: you may want to. But I'm like, I'm not sure 719 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:30,839 Speaker 3: why they would believe him, But I'm going to start 720 00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:33,359 Speaker 3: telling people I'm Bill Clinton and sticks. 721 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:35,960 Speaker 5: And you're a Hollywood producer, Holly producer. 722 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:40,279 Speaker 3: Bill Clinton com a Hollywood producer. So Russell he gets 723 00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:44,839 Speaker 3: placed under heavy security watch didn't matter. He impersonated an 724 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:48,239 Speaker 3: FBI agent, called the hospital on his cell phone and 725 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:52,439 Speaker 3: told them that he could be released. Does escape number five. 726 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:55,719 Speaker 3: So a couple of weeks later, US Marshalls they track 727 00:37:55,800 --> 00:37:57,399 Speaker 3: him to Florida arrested him. 728 00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:01,279 Speaker 2: Imagine how mad Johnny Law is at the point, like. 729 00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:03,759 Speaker 3: Oh, they're just living and they want to catch them 730 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:05,840 Speaker 3: no matter what. They They tricked him into going to 731 00:38:05,880 --> 00:38:08,960 Speaker 3: pick up a fax which you know r I P faxes, 732 00:38:09,440 --> 00:38:10,720 Speaker 3: and that's where. 733 00:38:10,520 --> 00:38:11,480 Speaker 5: They want. 734 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:17,319 Speaker 3: That fact every time. So let's stop here for the 735 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:20,280 Speaker 3: long arm of the law, and when we return from 736 00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:23,759 Speaker 3: our advertising sojourn, I'm going to let you know what 737 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:25,640 Speaker 3: lies in store for old Stephen Russell. 738 00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:26,640 Speaker 5: I'm pulling for the. 739 00:38:26,640 --> 00:38:47,160 Speaker 4: Guy, Dave. 740 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:51,240 Speaker 3: Oh here we are talking Stephen J. Russell. 741 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:52,279 Speaker 5: We sure are. 742 00:38:52,360 --> 00:38:54,000 Speaker 2: This is a this is an interesting change. 743 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:57,759 Speaker 3: He's a complex guy. Five escapes, some clever, well pretty 744 00:38:57,840 --> 00:38:59,960 Speaker 3: much all of them pretty clever, some pretty down low though. 745 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 3: He gets busted again, and now everyone's taking every precaution 746 00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 3: to make sure he stays in custody. 747 00:39:07,280 --> 00:39:10,279 Speaker 5: I mean, I'm assuming that's mostly just like closing his mouth. 748 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:13,239 Speaker 3: It's pretty much like tape him to. 749 00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:15,360 Speaker 2: The pens away. 750 00:39:15,960 --> 00:39:18,880 Speaker 3: So at trial, the judge sentenced him to one hundred 751 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:22,960 Speaker 3: and forty four years in prison. That's forty five years 752 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,120 Speaker 3: for all of his various scams, ninety nine years for 753 00:39:26,320 --> 00:39:30,160 Speaker 3: his multiple prison escapes. And they didn't put him into 754 00:39:30,200 --> 00:39:34,600 Speaker 3: gen POP. He was sentenced to be held in solitary confinement. 755 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:36,759 Speaker 5: Oh so that far it hurts here. 756 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, that meant that he was kept in a small 757 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:41,600 Speaker 3: room for twenty two to twenty three hours a day. 758 00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 3: Even with this treatment, prison officials were still convinced that 759 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,359 Speaker 3: he was plotting to escape again. They interviewed one guard 760 00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:52,000 Speaker 3: and he said, quote, if I know Steven, he's in 761 00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 3: touch with Philip Morris right now. I'm absolutely positive that 762 00:39:55,640 --> 00:39:57,800 Speaker 3: his little brain is constantly turning. 763 00:39:58,440 --> 00:39:59,040 Speaker 5: Is that? Like? 764 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:02,640 Speaker 2: Is that constitutional? Like I feel like we're. 765 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:08,120 Speaker 3: Going yeah, but it's just not true though at this 766 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:10,600 Speaker 3: point he's not in touch with Philip Morris. He doesn't 767 00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:13,759 Speaker 3: want to escape again like he always did it for love, right, 768 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:17,400 Speaker 3: first for Jim, then for Philip Morris. But now Philip 769 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,279 Speaker 3: Morris doesn't want anything to do with him, so he 770 00:40:20,400 --> 00:40:23,719 Speaker 3: has nothing to run to. This is what Russell said 771 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:27,279 Speaker 3: about Morris never visiting him. Quote, I miss him, but 772 00:40:27,360 --> 00:40:30,240 Speaker 3: I'm also realistic. I don't want to ever do anything 773 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:33,000 Speaker 3: that would hurt him again, and any action I took 774 00:40:33,040 --> 00:40:36,000 Speaker 3: now would cause him problems. I can't be with him. 775 00:40:36,280 --> 00:40:38,600 Speaker 3: There's no way they would let that happen. It doesn't 776 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:41,279 Speaker 3: make any difference how I feel about it. But you 777 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:44,280 Speaker 3: can't feel sorry for yourself. I did this to myself. 778 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:47,040 Speaker 3: When I hear from him, it's through letters. He's on 779 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:49,799 Speaker 3: my visitation list. So far, he hasn't come to see me, 780 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,319 Speaker 3: so it's like he's owning up to it. And I 781 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:56,520 Speaker 3: thought it was really interesting that he realizes that if 782 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 3: he does this, it's going to hurt Philip more than 783 00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:02,920 Speaker 3: anything else. So while he felt like he didn't have 784 00:41:02,960 --> 00:41:05,320 Speaker 3: anyone to run to, he did feel like he had 785 00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:10,120 Speaker 3: someone to stay on track for, and that was his daughter, Stephanie. Okay, 786 00:41:10,560 --> 00:41:13,440 Speaker 3: so he said, quote, my daughter Stephanie travels from the 787 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:15,959 Speaker 3: East Coast several times a year so she can spend 788 00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:18,840 Speaker 3: time with her dad. She deserves all of the credit 789 00:41:18,880 --> 00:41:21,319 Speaker 3: for my change. In behavior. It's because of her that 790 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:24,399 Speaker 3: I stopped trying to escape. The power a daughter has 791 00:41:24,480 --> 00:41:27,359 Speaker 3: over her father is strong. She helped me see that 792 00:41:27,440 --> 00:41:30,040 Speaker 3: my actions weren't just hurting me, they were hurting her 793 00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:32,840 Speaker 3: as well. All of my escapes had been acts of 794 00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:36,200 Speaker 3: unthinking selfishness. In order for me to stop hurting the 795 00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:37,960 Speaker 3: ones I love, they had to stop. 796 00:41:38,560 --> 00:41:41,480 Speaker 5: He's got a surprising level of awareness on several levels. 797 00:41:41,560 --> 00:41:44,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, yeah, And you see, like just like his 798 00:41:45,200 --> 00:41:47,960 Speaker 3: I hate to say his journey, but like his journey 799 00:41:48,000 --> 00:41:51,759 Speaker 3: through life is really fascinating of how he responds and 800 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:57,040 Speaker 3: adapts and develops. And he had did his twenty eighteen interview, 801 00:41:57,040 --> 00:41:59,960 Speaker 3: he was asked what he would do to stop prisoners 802 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:03,640 Speaker 3: from escaping, and his response was quote, first off, I 803 00:42:03,680 --> 00:42:06,600 Speaker 3: would keep the front door locked. If they need further advice, 804 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:09,920 Speaker 3: they can hire me as a consultant after I'm paroled again. 805 00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:13,960 Speaker 3: Love jus so he Morris. Philip Morris got interviewed in 806 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:16,480 Speaker 3: twenty ten by the Houston Chronicle and he shared some 807 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:20,160 Speaker 3: interesting insights into the mind of Steve and j Russell. 808 00:42:20,400 --> 00:42:23,120 Speaker 3: He told the paper, quote, you know, when we were 809 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:26,160 Speaker 3: in Harris County Jail, my lawyer told me they were 810 00:42:26,200 --> 00:42:28,400 Speaker 3: going to reinstate my probation, that I was going to 811 00:42:28,440 --> 00:42:31,839 Speaker 3: be out of there. Well. Instead, when I came back 812 00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:34,640 Speaker 3: to my cell, Steve was there, all happy and smiling. 813 00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:37,440 Speaker 3: Sometimes he'd have three or four phones going at the 814 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:40,360 Speaker 3: same time. Before I even opened my mouth, he said, 815 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,920 Speaker 3: they gave you a three year sentence, didn't they? I said, Steve, 816 00:42:43,960 --> 00:42:46,560 Speaker 3: how'd you know that? Of course, what he had done 817 00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:49,480 Speaker 3: was he had called the judge pretending to be another 818 00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:52,120 Speaker 3: judge or the DA so I would not be getting 819 00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:54,319 Speaker 3: out that night. He wanted to make sure that I 820 00:42:54,320 --> 00:42:57,040 Speaker 3: would go to prison. We spent all this time together 821 00:42:57,120 --> 00:42:59,799 Speaker 3: in Harris County Jail. He did that to make sure 822 00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:02,400 Speaker 3: I wouldn't go back to my ex lover. He wanted 823 00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:04,879 Speaker 3: to make sure he got out before I got out. 824 00:43:05,200 --> 00:43:06,080 Speaker 5: That is wild. 825 00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:09,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, so manipulative. So you're like, like every time you 826 00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:10,960 Speaker 3: think like I kind of pull for him that he 827 00:43:10,960 --> 00:43:14,440 Speaker 3: does these nasty things. Yeah, so he get This interview 828 00:43:14,520 --> 00:43:16,680 Speaker 3: was just after the film I Love You Philip Morris 829 00:43:16,760 --> 00:43:19,839 Speaker 3: was released. They asked him how They asked Philip Morris, 830 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:22,000 Speaker 3: how do you feel about seeing your story on the screen? 831 00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:25,479 Speaker 3: He said, quote, I'm delighted about it, just the fact 832 00:43:25,480 --> 00:43:27,960 Speaker 3: that people will see me as one of Steve's victims 833 00:43:27,960 --> 00:43:30,920 Speaker 3: as well. I've watched it with really close friends of 834 00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:33,319 Speaker 3: mine and family members who don't know the extent of 835 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:35,960 Speaker 3: what that man put me through. After the movie, one 836 00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:38,440 Speaker 3: of my best fishing buddies who happens to be straight, 837 00:43:38,560 --> 00:43:41,200 Speaker 3: he actually held me and cried and told me, Philip, 838 00:43:41,280 --> 00:43:44,120 Speaker 3: I did not know this about you. So this is 839 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:46,160 Speaker 3: also you know, every time we tell these stories, we 840 00:43:46,239 --> 00:43:48,759 Speaker 3: talk about how ridiculous these things are, and obviously there 841 00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:51,560 Speaker 3: are always victims, and sometimes, you know, we don't care 842 00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:54,759 Speaker 3: when it's like a big multinational corporation, you know, because 843 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:58,000 Speaker 3: up there, up theres but like you know, you do, 844 00:43:58,239 --> 00:44:00,520 Speaker 3: you do have to always take into account that there's 845 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:03,399 Speaker 3: you know, there are ramifications for these things. So yeah, 846 00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:08,759 Speaker 3: we got Russell locked up and alone and insolitary, and 847 00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:12,200 Speaker 3: he has a lot to say about that quote. Extreme 848 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:15,000 Speaker 3: isolation has given me time to consider who I am 849 00:44:15,040 --> 00:44:17,839 Speaker 3: and how I got here. It's a daily battle, though, 850 00:44:17,880 --> 00:44:23,239 Speaker 3: full of regret, flashbacks, self doubt, paranoia, bored him self loathing, questioning, 851 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:27,319 Speaker 3: and futility care the dage right. There are days when 852 00:44:27,320 --> 00:44:29,719 Speaker 3: I break down and cry my daily life, if you 853 00:44:29,719 --> 00:44:32,640 Speaker 3: can call it, that is barely worth living all by myself, 854 00:44:33,080 --> 00:44:36,280 Speaker 3: not touching another individual, not being able to hug my daughter, 855 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:39,520 Speaker 3: And it's my fault. It's only the future that gives 856 00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:42,560 Speaker 3: me hope. I'm now almost sixty one years old. Do 857 00:44:42,640 --> 00:44:46,040 Speaker 3: I belong in prison? Yes? I do. I understand and 858 00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:49,200 Speaker 3: accept why I'm here. I most definitely do not belong 859 00:44:49,280 --> 00:44:53,040 Speaker 3: in solitary However, that is a cruel and unusual punishment, 860 00:44:53,160 --> 00:44:58,160 Speaker 3: completely disproportionate to my crimes. So let's talk about solitary confinement. 861 00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:00,879 Speaker 3: So you know, I said, like, they're in there twenty 862 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:03,439 Speaker 3: two to twenty three hours a day. It's a windowless 863 00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:08,080 Speaker 3: concrete cell. They're fed through slots in the door. They 864 00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:12,000 Speaker 3: can't participate in job training or like other prison programs 865 00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:14,880 Speaker 3: that would help them better themselves. They can't earn time 866 00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:17,240 Speaker 3: served credits for parole eligibility. 867 00:45:17,600 --> 00:45:19,960 Speaker 5: They can very exercise, right, I mean there's no that's. 868 00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:22,160 Speaker 3: Not one hour. That one hour is to go out 869 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:25,120 Speaker 3: and like move and but yeah, otherwise you can't really 870 00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:28,960 Speaker 3: do anything. The United Nations Chief Official on issues involving 871 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:33,080 Speaker 3: torture said that solitary confinement for more than fifteen days 872 00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:35,200 Speaker 3: constitutes torture has. 873 00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:37,839 Speaker 6: To and like a week is like most people could 874 00:45:37,880 --> 00:45:39,440 Speaker 6: not survive for a week, there would. 875 00:45:39,400 --> 00:45:44,800 Speaker 3: None and this guy he gets a full sentence of it. Yeah, 876 00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:46,600 Speaker 3: and it's an issue that a lot of states are 877 00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:50,680 Speaker 3: working to regulate. In California, there's a big fight over 878 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:53,360 Speaker 3: whether to limit the amount of time someone can be 879 00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:56,680 Speaker 3: put in solitary. And they tried to put these regulations 880 00:45:56,719 --> 00:45:59,840 Speaker 3: on and then it gets it, you know, it always 881 00:46:00,239 --> 00:46:02,600 Speaker 3: to fall apart. And there are arguments too about like 882 00:46:02,640 --> 00:46:05,160 Speaker 3: how long should a pregnant woman be in solitary? You 883 00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:06,600 Speaker 3: don't even think of those things. 884 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:11,080 Speaker 6: Yeah, well it always like there's always people who like 885 00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:14,399 Speaker 6: when you're in the prison environment, like stuff happens to you, 886 00:46:14,400 --> 00:46:17,960 Speaker 6: you need medical care and unless unless like in most cases, 887 00:46:18,040 --> 00:46:20,080 Speaker 6: they just deny it, like if you're in if you're 888 00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:21,160 Speaker 6: in solitary, like you're. 889 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:22,560 Speaker 5: Not going to get your medical care no matter what 890 00:46:22,600 --> 00:46:22,879 Speaker 5: I need. 891 00:46:23,000 --> 00:46:25,480 Speaker 3: And what's interesting too, like when I when I taught 892 00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:27,560 Speaker 3: in the Federal prison, I had a lot of students 893 00:46:27,600 --> 00:46:32,440 Speaker 3: who would go into solitary on purpose because to avoid 894 00:46:32,719 --> 00:46:35,520 Speaker 3: like a fight or to be you know, oh yeah 895 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:38,600 Speaker 3: injured really or something bad happening to them. And it's 896 00:46:38,680 --> 00:46:41,520 Speaker 3: usually like something over like a commissary debt or a 897 00:46:41,560 --> 00:46:43,879 Speaker 3: gambling thing, and then they'd you know, or they would 898 00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:45,880 Speaker 3: get thrown in for fighting or that kind of stuff. 899 00:46:45,920 --> 00:46:51,000 Speaker 3: But it's like to have to go in there as 900 00:46:51,040 --> 00:46:55,600 Speaker 3: your safe haven is even more terrifying, I think Russell 901 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:59,160 Speaker 3: he thinks, you know, obviously that solitary is overkill. He said, 902 00:46:59,239 --> 00:47:03,640 Speaker 3: quote it's also unnecessary. Setting aside my decision to give 903 00:47:03,719 --> 00:47:07,360 Speaker 3: up trying to escape. Escaping is now a physical impossibility 904 00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:10,520 Speaker 3: for me. My spine is now so impacted that I 905 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:12,800 Speaker 3: have to be pushed around in a wheelchair whenever I 906 00:47:12,920 --> 00:47:16,239 Speaker 3: leave myself. Escaping also makes no sense now that I 907 00:47:16,280 --> 00:47:19,320 Speaker 3: have served so much time, because all of my crimes 908 00:47:19,320 --> 00:47:22,360 Speaker 3: were nonviolent, I may make it out of here legitimately 909 00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:25,920 Speaker 3: one day on parole. That is an infinitely better option 910 00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:29,120 Speaker 3: for me than trying to escape again. So like he 911 00:47:29,239 --> 00:47:32,360 Speaker 3: can't escape, that was the whole point of the solitary. 912 00:47:32,680 --> 00:47:36,080 Speaker 3: M I'm with him. It's overkill anyway. So research has 913 00:47:36,120 --> 00:47:39,600 Speaker 3: shown that keeping people from that meaningful human contact can 914 00:47:39,680 --> 00:47:43,319 Speaker 3: cause what's called isolation syndrome. And you know a lot 915 00:47:43,360 --> 00:47:46,120 Speaker 3: of people talked about this with like COVID lockdowns that 916 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:48,600 Speaker 3: if you know, we're trying to save each other and 917 00:47:48,640 --> 00:47:51,600 Speaker 3: save our lives and protect people, but at the same time, 918 00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:54,040 Speaker 3: you know, if you're especially if you're all by yourself, 919 00:47:54,160 --> 00:47:58,600 Speaker 3: like they can drive you mad absolutely, and it manifests 920 00:47:58,600 --> 00:48:04,680 Speaker 3: itself with like anxiety, depression, anger, perceptual distortions and paranoia 921 00:48:04,840 --> 00:48:09,239 Speaker 3: psychosis there and we talked about it on Tuesday. There's 922 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:13,880 Speaker 3: this other iHeart podcast called Politiken with My Dream Team 923 00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:19,799 Speaker 3: of Gavin Marshawn and then Doug so Good. So sorry Doug, 924 00:48:19,840 --> 00:48:21,600 Speaker 3: but it is Oh yeah. So they did this recent 925 00:48:21,680 --> 00:48:25,080 Speaker 3: two parter from San Quentin and knew some talked a 926 00:48:25,080 --> 00:48:28,640 Speaker 3: lot about the California model for incarceration, which focuses on 927 00:48:28,760 --> 00:48:34,040 Speaker 3: reducing recidivism and encouraging rehabilitation. And what struck me was 928 00:48:34,040 --> 00:48:36,120 Speaker 3: that he and the warden talked a lot about how 929 00:48:36,160 --> 00:48:39,080 Speaker 3: most of the guys inside would soon be outside and 930 00:48:39,120 --> 00:48:41,600 Speaker 3: they would be our neighbors. So like, what kind of 931 00:48:41,640 --> 00:48:44,200 Speaker 3: neighbor do you want to have? What kind of services 932 00:48:44,239 --> 00:48:47,080 Speaker 3: can these guys get to get them to a place 933 00:48:47,120 --> 00:48:49,239 Speaker 3: where they will be good neighbors in the community. 934 00:48:49,520 --> 00:48:51,440 Speaker 6: That's also like a it's like a Buddhist way to 935 00:48:51,440 --> 00:48:53,319 Speaker 6: look at it too. It's like you're you're stuck on 936 00:48:53,360 --> 00:48:55,640 Speaker 6: this planet with all these other people like you don't 937 00:48:55,680 --> 00:48:57,480 Speaker 6: have any other options, so how can you all live 938 00:48:57,560 --> 00:48:58,279 Speaker 6: together in a way. 939 00:48:58,320 --> 00:49:01,879 Speaker 3: That's exactly And when you think about it, they're paying 940 00:49:01,920 --> 00:49:04,800 Speaker 3: their debt to society and then you're supposed to have 941 00:49:04,840 --> 00:49:06,680 Speaker 3: this clean slate when you get out, which you don't. 942 00:49:07,200 --> 00:49:10,239 Speaker 3: But like how solitary is not the way to get 943 00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:13,520 Speaker 3: people to being a productive member of society. And I 944 00:49:13,560 --> 00:49:16,319 Speaker 3: would hope that everyone who complains about all the sacrifices 945 00:49:16,360 --> 00:49:18,080 Speaker 3: that we had to make when we were all locked 946 00:49:18,120 --> 00:49:20,359 Speaker 3: in for COVID stuff with think about that, you know. 947 00:49:20,440 --> 00:49:23,320 Speaker 3: But this is more of what Stephen Russell had to 948 00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:28,440 Speaker 3: say about solitary quote. In my opinion, solitary confinement should 949 00:49:28,440 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 3: only be reserved for the most violent of inmates and 950 00:49:31,239 --> 00:49:33,359 Speaker 3: should never be used for more than two years at 951 00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:37,200 Speaker 3: a time. It destroys the human spirit. Put simply, it 952 00:49:37,280 --> 00:49:40,279 Speaker 3: makes men mad. It is the only legal form of 953 00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:43,879 Speaker 3: torture in today's prison system. But it's a slow maltreatment 954 00:49:43,880 --> 00:49:46,560 Speaker 3: of the body and mind that in the short run 955 00:49:46,600 --> 00:49:50,240 Speaker 3: at least leaves no visible signs. That's why it's permitted. 956 00:49:50,600 --> 00:49:53,840 Speaker 3: Plus society tends to view anything that happens to inmates 957 00:49:53,840 --> 00:49:57,240 Speaker 3: in prison as no more than they deserve. Prisoners, however, 958 00:49:57,320 --> 00:50:01,440 Speaker 3: aren't necessarily evil or beyond redemption. If we expect prison 959 00:50:01,480 --> 00:50:05,040 Speaker 3: to rehabilitate offenders, or if we expect inmates to reintegrate 960 00:50:05,080 --> 00:50:08,200 Speaker 3: into society once they've done their time, the less broken 961 00:50:08,239 --> 00:50:10,680 Speaker 3: they are when they finally come out, the easier that 962 00:50:10,760 --> 00:50:13,839 Speaker 3: will be. That's exactly what we're talking about, you know. 963 00:50:15,280 --> 00:50:17,759 Speaker 3: And I think it's interesting that he's like, there are 964 00:50:17,800 --> 00:50:22,040 Speaker 3: all these examples in his life of when like society 965 00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:24,919 Speaker 3: pushes him down and his response and we're like, yeah, 966 00:50:24,920 --> 00:50:27,080 Speaker 3: it kind of makes sense where he just like gives 967 00:50:27,080 --> 00:50:29,320 Speaker 3: the world the middle finger and does and breaks the 968 00:50:29,719 --> 00:50:33,000 Speaker 3: social contract. And it's like, if you're constantly you know, 969 00:50:33,040 --> 00:50:35,840 Speaker 3: of course you're going to come out of solitary wanting 970 00:50:35,840 --> 00:50:38,560 Speaker 3: to break the social contract because it broke for you. 971 00:50:39,080 --> 00:50:40,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, you're also just broken. 972 00:50:40,960 --> 00:50:44,279 Speaker 6: I mean, like it creates real scars that you know 973 00:50:44,840 --> 00:50:46,080 Speaker 6: that it's really hard to heal. 974 00:50:46,440 --> 00:50:50,800 Speaker 3: Yeah. So his maximum sentence would put him behind bars 975 00:50:50,880 --> 00:50:57,440 Speaker 3: until March thirteenth, twenty one, thirteen, and he In twenty eighteen, 976 00:50:57,480 --> 00:51:00,440 Speaker 3: he released a memoir called Life after Philip Morris. He 977 00:51:00,480 --> 00:51:04,080 Speaker 3: wrote it kind of like a play, and he became 978 00:51:04,160 --> 00:51:09,480 Speaker 3: eligible for parole on December fifteenth, twenty twenty and on 979 00:51:09,560 --> 00:51:13,640 Speaker 3: February seventh, twenty twenty three, he got paroled. He was 980 00:51:13,719 --> 00:51:17,840 Speaker 3: released on July eleventh, twenty twenty four. Not too long while. Yeah, 981 00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:21,200 Speaker 3: so he's done some public speaking engagement since then. It's 982 00:51:21,200 --> 00:51:24,319 Speaker 3: not easy to kind of track down. But then there 983 00:51:24,360 --> 00:51:27,000 Speaker 3: was that movie right, I Love You Philip Morris. Jim 984 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:32,440 Speaker 3: Carrey played Russell, Ewan McGregor played Philip Morris, and the 985 00:51:32,480 --> 00:51:37,600 Speaker 3: screenwriters for it, who adapted the screenplay, they originally pitched 986 00:51:37,600 --> 00:51:39,920 Speaker 3: the story to a studio that was affiliated with the 987 00:51:39,960 --> 00:51:42,719 Speaker 3: book publisher, and one of the writers was like, yeah, 988 00:51:42,760 --> 00:51:47,080 Speaker 3: it didn't go so well because there the studio wanted 989 00:51:47,120 --> 00:51:50,719 Speaker 3: them to make Philip into a girl, like they were 990 00:51:50,760 --> 00:51:53,879 Speaker 3: not wait, yeah, they were not comfortable with it being 991 00:51:53,920 --> 00:51:55,640 Speaker 3: a gay couple. So in the. 992 00:51:55,600 --> 00:51:58,520 Speaker 2: Writers three or whatever, like was this reach. 993 00:51:58,440 --> 00:52:02,200 Speaker 3: Well no, this was two thousand and nine, was the 994 00:52:02,520 --> 00:52:03,120 Speaker 3: was the movie? 995 00:52:03,760 --> 00:52:04,160 Speaker 5: Okay? 996 00:52:04,280 --> 00:52:07,240 Speaker 2: But still yeah, I mean like yeah. 997 00:52:06,880 --> 00:52:09,560 Speaker 3: So like the screenwriters they wanted to make this classic 998 00:52:09,680 --> 00:52:11,240 Speaker 3: romantic comedy. 999 00:52:10,880 --> 00:52:13,239 Speaker 5: But with me cut and like yeah, but it. 1000 00:52:13,280 --> 00:52:15,279 Speaker 3: Was like two gay men in the roles that they 1001 00:52:15,480 --> 00:52:17,800 Speaker 3: They said that would typically go to Doris Day and 1002 00:52:17,920 --> 00:52:21,680 Speaker 3: Rock Hudson, which is like, well Rock Hudson, Yeah, but 1003 00:52:21,760 --> 00:52:23,920 Speaker 3: like in the fifties, like a fifties kind of zany. 1004 00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:28,759 Speaker 3: One of the screenwriters, John Request said quote to say 1005 00:52:28,800 --> 00:52:31,560 Speaker 3: that the subject matter, the gay subject matter, played no 1006 00:52:31,680 --> 00:52:34,480 Speaker 3: part in our distribution problems would be a lie. I 1007 00:52:34,480 --> 00:52:37,080 Speaker 3: mean it did. We went with a distributor who was 1008 00:52:37,120 --> 00:52:40,200 Speaker 3: not one of the major independent distributors at Sundance because 1009 00:52:40,239 --> 00:52:43,319 Speaker 3: I believe that the larger distributors were afraid of it 1010 00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:46,000 Speaker 3: because it wasn't a gay message movie and it was 1011 00:52:46,040 --> 00:52:48,840 Speaker 3: a frank depiction of gay life. So it wasn't like, 1012 00:52:49,480 --> 00:52:49,759 Speaker 3: you know. 1013 00:52:49,960 --> 00:52:50,439 Speaker 2: Still nuts. 1014 00:52:50,520 --> 00:52:52,919 Speaker 6: I mean, like, I believe it one hundred percent, but yeah, 1015 00:52:52,920 --> 00:52:55,560 Speaker 6: it's nuts to reflect on the fact that it was. 1016 00:52:55,640 --> 00:52:58,160 Speaker 6: It's been that long till you could just have a 1017 00:52:58,600 --> 00:53:01,960 Speaker 6: story that didn't revolve around the homosexuality of it, but 1018 00:53:02,000 --> 00:53:03,200 Speaker 6: have two gay men as leads. 1019 00:53:03,239 --> 00:53:05,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, exactly, and not be like, oh, we're fighting for 1020 00:53:05,560 --> 00:53:09,759 Speaker 3: the you know, like yeah, and so Russell though he uh, 1021 00:53:10,440 --> 00:53:12,960 Speaker 3: he's only seen clips from the movie, he's never seen 1022 00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:15,399 Speaker 3: the whole thing. He said, quote they've got it down. 1023 00:53:15,440 --> 00:53:18,920 Speaker 3: The way we speak, the mannerisms, the close everything, it's surreal. 1024 00:53:19,520 --> 00:53:22,240 Speaker 3: And then Jim Carrey, when asked about it, said, quote, 1025 00:53:22,280 --> 00:53:25,080 Speaker 3: the bottom line was that he wanted to be loved 1026 00:53:25,160 --> 00:53:29,279 Speaker 3: and he felt disenfranchised his entire life. So like that 1027 00:53:29,440 --> 00:53:30,920 Speaker 3: was what he took out of it, and that's what 1028 00:53:31,000 --> 00:53:35,240 Speaker 3: he put into that role. So, Dave, what's your ridiculous takeaway? 1029 00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:37,759 Speaker 6: Oh my god, Well, something just popped into my head 1030 00:53:37,800 --> 00:53:39,759 Speaker 6: as you said that last bit, which is that, like, 1031 00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:45,880 Speaker 6: is this a truth about people who ultimately become con artists. 1032 00:53:45,520 --> 00:53:47,240 Speaker 5: Like they want to be loved? 1033 00:53:47,880 --> 00:53:50,920 Speaker 6: Yeah, like deep down, and that's like they so they 1034 00:53:51,400 --> 00:53:57,200 Speaker 6: managed to like extract goods or emotions out of somebody. 1035 00:53:57,600 --> 00:53:59,760 Speaker 5: But it's obviously artificial because there's a setup. 1036 00:53:59,760 --> 00:54:02,800 Speaker 6: But what they're really doing is kind of like pantomiming 1037 00:54:03,080 --> 00:54:05,040 Speaker 6: the interaction they really want, Like they would love for 1038 00:54:05,040 --> 00:54:06,879 Speaker 6: somebody to be like, I love you so much, I'm 1039 00:54:06,880 --> 00:54:08,360 Speaker 6: going to give you eighty thousand dollars. 1040 00:54:08,480 --> 00:54:11,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, to force that love, whether they know about it 1041 00:54:11,600 --> 00:54:14,200 Speaker 3: or not, I mean love. 1042 00:54:14,600 --> 00:54:17,160 Speaker 6: This may be way too abstracted from real life to 1043 00:54:17,239 --> 00:54:19,480 Speaker 6: be true, but it's it's neat and tidy, like it's 1044 00:54:19,520 --> 00:54:22,200 Speaker 6: an interesting way to look at it exactly exactly. 1045 00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:27,759 Speaker 3: Uh you know, no, I think I already covered it all. 1046 00:54:29,160 --> 00:54:32,680 Speaker 3: I really really think we should do a talk back here. 1047 00:54:32,680 --> 00:54:43,160 Speaker 5: I got one for you. Oh my god, I love you. 1048 00:54:46,920 --> 00:54:48,560 Speaker 3: Hey, Saren and Elizabeth. 1049 00:54:48,600 --> 00:54:53,520 Speaker 7: This is rude dudes, Alison and Lily here what she's 1050 00:54:53,520 --> 00:54:57,440 Speaker 7: a shy fourteen year old anyway, we just were driving 1051 00:54:57,560 --> 00:55:01,920 Speaker 7: home from plane in the Ciahoga River and we happen 1052 00:55:02,000 --> 00:55:05,680 Speaker 7: to be listening to your ten cent Beer Night South 1053 00:55:05,719 --> 00:55:10,000 Speaker 7: of Cleveland. It's nice and clean and fun. We love, love, 1054 00:55:10,200 --> 00:55:11,200 Speaker 7: love your show. 1055 00:55:12,960 --> 00:55:14,360 Speaker 5: Thank you so much. 1056 00:55:14,560 --> 00:55:18,000 Speaker 3: I love that, Lily. I have been in that position 1057 00:55:18,080 --> 00:55:21,160 Speaker 3: so many times when people are like, say hi, no, no, 1058 00:55:21,400 --> 00:55:24,680 Speaker 3: I would say it if I wanted to. But I 1059 00:55:24,760 --> 00:55:27,479 Speaker 3: love this in the Cuyahoga River. See how it's been 1060 00:55:27,520 --> 00:55:32,640 Speaker 3: cleaned up. God, bless God, blessed Cleveland. That's it for today. 1061 00:55:32,880 --> 00:55:36,719 Speaker 3: You can find us online at ridiculous Crime dot com. 1062 00:55:37,400 --> 00:55:44,920 Speaker 3: We're at Ridiculous Crime on Twitter, Instagram, Flicker, Friends to Jazzo, Jazzo, 1063 00:55:45,440 --> 00:55:50,200 Speaker 3: Bing Bong, Mad Magazine, all the good ones. You can 1064 00:55:50,239 --> 00:55:53,200 Speaker 3: email Ridiculous Crime at gmail dot com, but it's pointless, 1065 00:55:53,239 --> 00:55:56,120 Speaker 3: and then you can also do something that's not pointless. 1066 00:55:56,280 --> 00:55:58,560 Speaker 3: Leave us a talk back on the iHeart App. It's 1067 00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:01,239 Speaker 3: free and you can be on the show reach Out. 1068 00:56:06,320 --> 00:56:09,759 Speaker 3: Ridiculous Crime is hosted by Elizabeth Dutton, Zern Burnett and 1069 00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:14,280 Speaker 3: this time Dave Coustin. That's Me for It is edited 1070 00:56:14,560 --> 00:56:18,600 Speaker 3: by Jim Carrey as Dave Cousten, starring and Elis Rutger 1071 00:56:18,880 --> 00:56:22,240 Speaker 3: as Judas. Research is by Marissa Brown as Jim Carrey 1072 00:56:22,280 --> 00:56:25,520 Speaker 3: and Jim Carrey as Andrea Song Sharpen Tear. The theme 1073 00:56:25,560 --> 00:56:28,280 Speaker 3: song is by Jim Carrey as Thomas Lee and Travis 1074 00:56:28,360 --> 00:56:32,200 Speaker 3: Dutton featuring Jim Carrey. Post wardrobe is provided by Botany 1075 00:56:32,239 --> 00:56:36,320 Speaker 3: five hundred. Guest hair and makeup by Sparkleshot and mister Andre. 1076 00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:40,320 Speaker 3: Executive producers are Ben Bolan Is portrayed by Ewan McGregor 1077 00:56:40,360 --> 00:56:51,239 Speaker 3: and Ewan McGregor as Noel Brown QUI Say It One 1078 00:56:51,239 --> 00:56:51,719 Speaker 3: More Time. 1079 00:56:54,440 --> 00:56:57,840 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Crime is a production of iHeartRadio. Four more podcasts 1080 00:56:57,840 --> 00:57:00,960 Speaker 1: in my Heart Radio visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 1081 00:57:01,040 --> 00:57:02,880 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.